Will 52-vote lead spur recount for 3rd Congressional District race?

By Chris Lisinski, clisinski@lowellsun.com

Posted:
09/06/2018 07:00:23 AM EDT

Third Congressional District candidate Lori Trahan, who led Dan Koh by a narrow 52-vote margin the day after the Democratic primary, addresses media and supporters at the UMass Lowell Inn & Conference Center on Wednesday. Sun/Chris Lisinski

LOWELL -- With the 3rd Congressional District race remaining too close to call the day after the election and the potential of a recount looming, prospective winner Lori Trahan doubled down on her claims of victory.

In a brief statement delivered to media in front of dozens of supporters Wednesday morning, Trahan -- who leads Dan Koh by a razor-thin margin -- said she believes she topped the 10-way Democratic primary.

"Now that 100 percent of the votes are counted, I'm confident that I am your Democratic nominee," Trahan said.

More than a dozen reporters were on hand to hear Trahan's remarks. She did not take questions.

Trahan, of Westford, claimed victory shortly after 12 a.m. at her election-night party, but Koh never conceded and the race has not officially been called by a third party or state official. As of 12 p.m. Wednesday with all precincts reporting to the Associated Press, Trahan had received 18,368 votes while Koh, of Andover, had received 18,316.

Just 52 votes -- or 0.06 percent of the total vote -- separate the two, and there are indications the final tally could change. Lowell election officials said Wednesday that about 100 ballots at the Bailey Elementary School were counted but not included in unofficial results, and city employees were working to resolve the situation. Provisional ballots, filled out when someone does not initially appear on a voting list and later cast if the voter's registration is confirmed, are being counted as well.

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On Wednesday morning, about 14 hours after polls closed, Secretary of State William Galvin ordered all ballots and paperwork impounded to protect integrity should a recount be requested. Koh has not yet called for a recount, although his campaign said in a Wednesday morning press release that he was "reviewing the process" to do so.

"It's clear that the final outcome of the election will not be known for a few days," the Koh campaign said.

Candidates can request a recount if the final result is decided by a margin of 0.

5 percentage points or less. In this race, a petition with signatures from 500 voters who were registered as Democrats as of Aug. 15 must be filed with the secretary of state's office by 5 p.m. Friday.

Trahan said Tuesday night that she was prepared for a recount if necessary. On Wednesday, though, she did not explicitly mention the possibility, and her remarks appeared to push back against the idea.

"There are 62 days until the general election," Trahan said. "We cannot afford to wait a single day to start this campaign."

Trahan said she called 7th Congressional District winner Ayanna Pressley to congratulate her Wednesday morning and that she looks forward to serving alongside her in the Massachusetts delegation. She did not take questions following her two-minute statement.

Whoever is declared the final winner will face Republican Rick Green, of Pepperell, who did not face a primary challenge, in the Nov. 6 general election. In a Wednesday press release, he called for a quick resolution of the Democratic primary, warning that "a power struggle between two political dynasties" -- an apparent reference to Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, for whom Koh was chief of staff, and former U.S. Rep. Marty Meehan, for whom Trahan was chief of staff -- would negatively affect the district.

The other eight Democrats on Tuesday's primary ballot split 56.8 percent of the vote, results show. Juana Matias finished in third about 5,500 votes behind the two front-runners, followed closely by Barbara L'Italien and Rufus Gifford.

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